Editorial Reviews

Simmering with comedy and passion, this tasty movie treat serves up Bridget Moynahan, Ellen Pompeo and Molly Ringwald in a stylish look at the highs and lows of one night at a cool New York City restaurant.

Everyone knows that waiters and waitresses at a busy big city bistro are really just aspiring actors, models, and writers looking for a shot at stardom. What they don't know is that tonight—while dealing with obnoxious customers, cranky chefs, and a hot-headed owner—some will get their big break, some will break up and others will break down. Also featuring Eric Bogosian and Joshua Leonard in a stellar ensemble cast, only time will tell whether the colorful crew will make it through the night without losing their jobs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

My boyfriend and I are working together in the same restaurant for the second time, and when we ordered this movie on demand, we couln't stop laughing. Now I don't have a favorite movie. I do have a top ten, and this movie just made the list.

The acting was superb, the characters were so accurate it was hysterical, and the lighting and overall aesthetic were also perfect (anyone who has ever worked in the service industry will understand what it feels like to be stuck in the same annoying lighting and ugly mustard hues for hours on end). The running gag with the wine key (we've all been there), the gay manager, the maniacal executive chef, the greedy, section-stealing server, the nightmare customers, and the monster of an owner were all just precious and reminded me of just about every restaurant I've ever worked in.

In the Weeds was also a perfect "day in the life" kind of movie-no unrealistic dramas or ground-breaking epiphanies, just everyday life- but it mananges not to be boring or depressing at the same time. I'm not sure how much someone who has never worked in the service industry would appreciate it, but it's still very funny. By the way, if you like this movie, check out bitterwaitress.com- great site.

Some may ask what's the point? I, on the other hand, love movies that just show you a moment in people's lives. It's real life but it's not real life. Things happen, but nothing really changes. Life makes for an awful playmate, but you just have to keep on keeping on. In the Weeds shows you one night in the life of a restaurant staff working at a swanky New York restaurant. For me, the big appeal was a cast including Joshua Leonard (of Blair Witch fame) and 80s icon Molly Ringwald. I didn't really know if the movie would be any good, but I have to say I was quite impressed by it (and the entire cast is excellent).

I think most of us know what it is like to work at an unfulfilling job and wonder if our dreams will ever come true; at some point, you have to face the fact that all of your big plans for the future may never happen - that's when you truly become an adult, and the way you deal with that realization determines what kind of an adult you are going to be. Will you keep fighting or just give up? Among the restaurant staff in this little passion play of a movie are an aspiring playwright, a couple of aspiring actors (one of whom went to Julliard), a cynical thirty-something, an angelic rookie/social worker - and of course a tramp, an illegal alien or two, and a sadistic cook (if Eminem were a cook, he would be this guy). The manager (Sam Harris) is a somewhat high-strung, quirky fellow who's really a good guy, but the owner (Eric Bogosian) is an uncaring monster - and he just so happens to be entertaining a client in the restaurant tonight. Adam (Joshua Leonard), our aspiring playwright and all-around good guy, has the "honor" of working that table, and it's an ordeal and a half.Read more ›

In the Weeds is certainly lesser known than the nearly identical, but funnier, Waiting. Granted, Waiting is really a rip off of In the Weeds, but how many Hollyweird movies are really originals in the first place?

In the Weeds takes a single slice of time in the restaurant world's life: an evening meal. In this line up we have the newbie, the career server, a movie star in waiting, the screenwriter hoping to be recognized, the promiscuous girl, an illegal alien or two busboy/back server/food runner, the scan artist, the spineless manager, the ruthless chef and overworked pastry chef and ass of an owner. Funny, I've seen a good many restaurants like this. The storyline was pretty weak, all in all, but it was worth a one time watch - especially if you work in a restaurant. Guaranteed, you'll identify and recognize a character or two or perhaps a customer or two.

In the Weeds is hard to pidgeon-hole to genre. It really isn't funny enough to be a comedy not dry enough to be drama. It just is.